Nationalist MP Jesmond Mugliett said today that while the planned law on sustainable development was welcome, he was disappointed that it made no mention of a national commission for sustainable development but laid down that the Office of the Prime Minister would be responsible.

Speaking during the Budget debate, Mr Mugliett said it appeared, therefore, that this important area would fall under some permanent secretary, when it should actually enjoy the full attention of an independent person appointed for the purpose.

The government, Mr Mugliett said, appeared to be scared of appointed independent persons to such posts when their duties would include chasing ministers to ensure that spatial planning and sustainable development policies were observed and implemented. Perhaps there was fear that ministers would resist them, or not heed them.

Certainly, it was a challenge to bring about a culture of sustainable development but this was something which the nation could not do without. The country recently announced the draft environment policy. That followed a raft of other policies and strategies, many of which had not been implemented yet. The environment policy itself also mentioned many other planned policies.

The important thing, however, was to deliver and to be consistent. It was important that the country had its priorities right.

In various parts of his address, Mr Mugliett was critical that the government had not opted to use gas for the power station immediately, saying this was not just an issue of funds, but also of heath. One could, perhaps, have prioritised this over other matters, such as the smart meters, he said.

Balancing economic development, the environment and social development would not be easy. Sometimes decisions had to be taken which would favour one sector over another. Hence there was need for people who are proactive and able to speak to the various ministries on sustainable policies.

With the government giving importance to spatial planning and issues such as renewables, Mr Mugliett said he was disappointed that more funds had not been allocated for renewable energy. He was also surprised that the minister responsible for employment had not been able to say, in reply to a parliamentary question, how many green jobs were being created by the government, because there was no proper definition of green jobs. If the government truly believed in green jobs that, surely, there should be such a definition, Mr Mugliett said.